The bugs gain access to Dr. Richard Naylor, the human host, once a week or so to feed on. (Representational image: Unsplash) 
MedBound Blog

Why This Doctor Spent Last Five Years Sleeping in a Bed Infested with Bugs

A facility that creates and studies bed bugs is run by pest expert Dr. Richard Naylor, who has spent the last 20 years researching these insects

Priyanka Pandey

Getting enough sleep is crucial for overall well-being. Everybody wants to go to bed and sleep soundly. In order to do that, they make sure that the bed is tidy and free of bed bugs. However, you'll be surprised to learn that the doctor who sleeps in a bed full of these creatures is doing so voluntarily. All of this work by the expert has been done for research purposes. Indeed, shocking. Why, though, conduct the research?

A facility that creates and studies bed bugs is run by pest expert Dr. Richard Naylor, who has spent the last 20 years researching these insects. To help pest management firms comprehend bed bugs, he must sleep in a bed with dozens of bloodsucking creatures as part of his profession.

According to Dr. Richard Naylor, bed bugs are "inherently difficult to study,". As soon as they are discovered, he continued, people want to get rid of them, thus the researchers are pressed for time to carry out a significant "field trial." The Bed Bug Foundation CIC and Cimex Store are managed by the expert and his wife, Alexia. To conduct research in a controlled environment and mimic infestations, they have set up test bedrooms. With double beds, bedside tables, rugs, and windows with blinds, these test bedrooms are similar to typical bedrooms.

To conduct research in a controlled environment and mimic infestations, they have set up test bedrooms. (Representational image: Unsplash)

They have tested devices, insecticides, barrier tapes, traps, monitors, and other items using this specific configuration during the last five years. The bugs gain access to Dr. Richard Naylor, the human host, once a week or so to feed on. After that, the crew records the animals' nighttime behavior on camera in order to study their habits and try out other kinds of traps.

Thus far, scientists have discovered that the Cimex Hemipterus bed insect, which is situated close to the equator, is among the most hazardous species, resistant to even the most potent medications. Experts worry that France may have been the source of these tropical pests. They also discovered that they can expose people to harmful infections.

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Priyanka Pandey/MSM)

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